Prunus avium
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- PROO-nus AH-vee-um
- This plant has medium severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Sweet cherry is a deciduous tree in the rose family (Rosaceae) and cultivated in landscapes for its edible fruit. This tree is native from Europe to Afghanistan and northern Africa. The origin of the sweet cherry’s botanical name is derived from Latin.
The sweet cherry enjoys full sun and grows to a height of 15 to 30 feet with a matching spread. It prefers moisture-retentive soils that provide good drainage as it will not tolerate wet soils.
Gardeners value sweet cherry for its showy, fragrant, white flowers in spring, its fruit in summer, and its yellow leaves in the fall. The fruit is a fleshy drupe, yellow or red with a large pit (stone). It has occasionally escaped from gardens and naturalized in the landscape.
Sweet cherry is a nice addition to an edible, butterfly or pollinator garden.
Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: Potential disease problems include leaf spot, bacterial canker, brown rot, black knot, crown gall, leaf curl, leaf scorch, powdery mildew, root rot, scab and shot-hole fungus. Potential insect pests include aphids, fruit flies, sawflies and scale. Birds and squirrels will eat mature fruits. Late frosts will damage the buds.
VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Nuts" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Prunus
- Species:
- avium
- Family:
- Rosaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Europe to Afghanistan, Northern Africa
- Wildlife Value:
- This is a larval host plant to Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus). You may see three flights from February-November in the deep south and two flights from May-September in the north.
- Play Value:
- Edible fruit
- Edibility:
- Fruit edible raw or cooked.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Poisonous
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Columnar
- Conical
- Maintenance:
- High
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Fruit Type:
- Drupe
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Fleshy, yellow to red to purple-red, with a large pit (stone) and long stem.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- White
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- 1-few in a rounded cluster, 5-parted, 1-1.5 in. Emerge with the leaves.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Toothed on the margin with 2 small red or green glands at the base of the blade. Petiole has a groove.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Light Gray
- Red/Burgundy
- Surface/Attachment:
- Lenticels
- Ridges
- Bark Description:
- Very distinct horizontal lenticels. Old wood may be grey with horizontal ridges.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Edible Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Flowering Tree
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Problems:
- Frequent Disease Problems
- Frequent Insect Problems
- Poisonous to Humans
- Problem for Cats
- Problem for Dogs
- Problem for Horses
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- Medium
- Poison Symptoms:
- The leaves, flowers, green fruits, ripe fruits and seeds contain cyanide compounds in detectable quantities, but the seeds and fruit stalks have the highest concentration of toxins. If a couple of pits (stones, which enclose the seeds) are accidentally swallowed, it will not cause poisoning, but care should be taken to remove pits before fruits are processed in a blender or any other machine that will crack open the pits. Symptoms include gasping, weakness, excitement, pupil dilation, spasms, convulsions, coma and respiratory failure.
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Cyanogenic glycosides (amygdalin & prunasin)
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- No
- Poison Part:
- Flowers
- Fruits
- Leaves
- Seeds
